The DeChance Chronicles Omnibus: Books I - IV

by David Niall Wilson

Donovan DeChance is a collector of ancient manuscripts and books, a practicing mage, and a private investigator. This Omnibus Collection includes books I, II, III, and IV of the series. Included are Heart of a Dragon, Vintage Soul, My Soul to Keep (The Origin story of Donovan DeChance) and Kali's Tale - book IV of the series. Also included are the bonus novellas "The Not Quite Right Reverend Cletus J. Diggs & The Currently Accepted Habits of Nature," and "The Preacher's Marsh," both of which provide background on settings and characters that appear in Kali's Tale. If you enjoy this book, you should read Nevermore, A Novel of Love, Loss & Edgar Allan Poe, which follows on Kali's Tale, has a cameo from Donovan DeChance, and leads into Book V - A Midnight Dreary, currently in progress. Heart of a When a local houngan begins meddling with powers she may not be able to control, a turf war breaks out between the Dragons motorcycle club and the Los Escorpiones street gang—a war that threatens to open portals between worlds and destroy the city in the process. With his lover, Amethyst, his familiar, Cleo – an Egyptian Mau the size of a small bobcat –the dubious aid of a Mexican sorcerer named Martinez and the budding gifts of a young artist named Salvatore, DeChance begins a race against time, magic, and almost certain death. Vintage When, despite the finest in natural and supernatural security, a sexy and well-loved, three hundred year old lady vampire is kidnapped right out from under her lover's nose, Donovan is called in to investigate. There will be no ransom for the kidnap victim, and if Donovan doesn't prevent an ancient, forbidden ritual from reaching its culmination, far more than a single vampire's undead existence will be at stake. My Soul to Donovan DeChance is a very private man, and he is in love. When he invites his partner and lover, Amethyst, for a quiet dinner, she has no idea of his true intention. Donovan has planned a sharing - a vision that will give her the keys to his early life - the origins of his power - and a lot more than she bargained for. Join young Donovan as he fights to keep his soul, save a town, and learn the roots of his teacher and guardian - and meet his familiar, Cleo. Kali's When Donovan is asked to follow in secret as a hot-headed group of young vampires set out on a 'blood quest' to kill the ancient who created the young vampire Kali against her will, he learns that - as usual - there is a lot more to the story than meets the eye. Through the juke joints of Beale Street in Memphis, to the depths of The Great Dismal Swamp, Donovan and his lover and partner, Amethyst, find themselves drawn along on one of the strangest quests in their long, enigmatic lives as they delve into the world of the undead, the magic of The Blues, and the very heart of alchemy both to protect their young, vampiric charges - and to prevent an ancient evil from destroying the balance of power in the universe. This novel directly crosses over to the original series O.C.L.T. - where Donovan is a sometimes consultant. It features appearances by Geoffrey Bullfinch and Rebecca York, O.C.L.T. agents, as well as Old Mill, North Carolina's own Cletus J. Diggs.

Genres: Fantasy

1022 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 3, 2014

About the author

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David Niall Wilson has been writing and publishing horror, dark fantasy, and science fiction since the mid-eighties. An ordained minister, once President of the Horror Writer 's Association and multiple recipient of the Bram Stoker Award. He lives outside Hertford, NC with the love of his life, Patricia Lee Macomber, His children Zane and Katie, occasionally their older siblings, Stephanie, who is in college, and Bill and Zach who are in the Navy, and an ever-changing assortment of pets.

David is CEO and founder of Crossroad Press, a cutting edge digital publishing company specializing in electronic novels, collections, and nonfiction, as well as unabridged audiobooks and print titles.

Reviews

[Cryogenic Fire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable Series

This is an enjoyable series. The supporting characters are as fleshed out as the main protagonist, plot pacing is good and the stories are well told. Book 1 does slightly contradict certain elements of the later books in small ways; nothing too big but if you're as picky as me these things can niggle. All in all though the author has created a fascinating world populated by some very interesting characters.

A recommended read.

[Madelon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Drawing. Music. Painting. These elements are central to the world of Donovan DeChance. Art and artifice are hallmarks of David Niall Wilson's writing.

I find it useful to read a book from cover to cover, including, and maybe especially, remarks of the author. David Niall Wilson makes a good case for putting out this omnibus edition by saying "You can purchase each of these books separately, but my thought is – the best time to convince someone to move from book one to book two is right at the moment they finish book one…" I don't know how many of you find waiting for the next book in a series to be frustrating, but I certainly do. Wilson also makes a good case for the order in which you read the books and stories. Kudos to Crossroad Press for providing links at the end of both "The Not Quite Right Reverend Cletus J. Diggs & The Currently Accepted Habits of Nature" and "The Preacher's Marsh" to facilitate the reading order Wilson suggested.

Donovan DeChance is a nuanced character with a story to tell just not all at once. As you journey through his life, there are people and places with whom he interacts that have their own tales to tell. Sorry, but I just don't do spoilers. David Niall Wilson's writing is something to savor on your own. Take the plunge with this omnibus edition. You won't be sorry.

[Walter Obrien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book was an extremely pleasant read. Characters were well developed. Story lines were well paced. "Magic" didn't become the story, it simply supported the story line. Was not predictable.

On to the next book in the series "Nevermore".

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good collection of stories, adventurous and entertaining. Great characters.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Four books in one starring a magician who uses technology to save the words of the other famous magicians. The stories star him as the savior in various problems, there are vampires and various other creatures filling out the stories.